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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual exposition not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GWT = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New English Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
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Results of the filling of the Spirit (Eph 5:19-21)
… 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
A fourth result of the filling of the Holy Spirit is offering of thanks to God for everything where offering thanks to God refers to expressing a heartfelt gratitude to Him for what He has done for the one who offers thanks to Him. It is this thanksgiving as a result of the filling of the Holy Spirit that is given in verse 20 that again reads always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let me refresh your mind that the expression giving thanks is the more appropriate way of translating the Greek word used in our passage although some English versions such as the GWT or the TEV translated it as a command to read give thanks. It is possible that those who translate it as a command may also be influenced by the actual command that involves thanksgiving the Holy Spirit issued through the Apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:18:
give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
The Greek indicates that it is a command that is intended in 1 Thessalonians since the apostle used a Greek form that is used for issuing a command. Furthermore, the context indicates that the command give thanks is one among a series of commands the apostle issued. For example, in verse 16 of 1 Thessalonians 5, the apostle issued the command to be joyful always and in verse 17 he issued the command to pray continually so that the command in verse 18 to offer thanks fits in with the series of commands the apostle issued in ending that epistle. This is not the case in our passage since we have a series of participles in the Greek after a command in Ephesians 5:18 to be filled of the Spirit and so it is better to translate the Greek word in Ephesians 5:20 as giving thanks with the understanding that the participle is to be taken as providing a result of the main command of being filled with the Spirit that the apostle issued Ephesians 5:18. In other words, we are asserting that the thanksgiving as an action expected of the believer is that which results from being filled of the Spirit, that is, to be controlled by the Holy Spirit and not another independent command.
In any case, the expression always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ of Ephesians 5:20 teaches us four truths about thanksgiving. A first truth we learn about thanksgiving is that it requires the right kind of spiritual condition for it to be meaningful. This, we can understand from the fact we stated that thanksgiving as mentioned in the passage we are studying is a result of the filling of the Spirit. A person who is not filled of the Spirit or who is not in the right spiritual relationship with God is incapable of offering thanks to Him. This truth is implied in what the Holy Spirit says through the apostle with respect to those who reject God’s truth in Romans 1:21:
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Those who did not give thanks to God in this passage of Romans are those who do not have the right relationship with God through Jesus Christ. This may not be that clear because of the clause although they knew God. The sentence they knew God is to be understood to mean that those in view recognize the existence of God because of His creative work, but they have no personal relationship with Him, consequently they refuse to thank Him. The implication is that those who do not have the right spiritual relationship with God are incapable of expressing heartfelt gratitude to Him.
The truth that it requires the right kind of spiritual condition for thanksgiving to be meaningful is implied in the word always the apostle used. The word “always” is translated from a Greek adverb (pantote) that also means “at all times.” How does the use of the word “always” imply that thanksgiving requires the right kind of spiritual condition for thanksgiving, you may ask? It is the fact that the apostle used it in stating a result of the filling of the Spirit. There will be no need to indicate that thanksgiving is always a result of the filling of the Spirit if true thanksgiving can take place at all times and on every occasion. The fact that the apostle associates the word “always” with thanksgiving that is a result of the filling of the Spirit means that it is an activity that can be meaningfully entered into when the Holy Spirit is in control of the believer. Of course, it is not only thanksgiving that the apostle associates with the word “always” but also with prayer, as for example, in Romans 1:10:
in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.
The phrase at all times is literally always. Prayer is activity that if truly entered into required the filling of the Spirit to be effective. It is because the apostle is filled of the Spirit when he prayed that he could state that he always prayed with joy, as we read in Philippians 1:4:
In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy.
Joy is a facet of the fruit of the Spirit so when the apostle prayed with joy that implies he was under the control of the Holy Spirit. Thus, we will expect that when the apostle used the word “always” in connection with thanksgiving that the Holy Spirit intended for us to recognize that any meaningful thanksgiving is one that results from the filling of the Spirit. Believers are not always filled of the Spirit as the command to be habitually filled of the Spirit implies. This being the case, we are not always thankful to God for His blessings but whenever we are filled of the Spirit we will find ourselves being thankful to God. There is more to the word always. It is that it sets for us the standard we should aspire with respect to thanksgiving. The ideal situation is that believers should have the attitude of thanksgiving constantly so that it can be said we are constantly thankful to God. In effect, the ideal situation the Lord expects of us to have is a life that is constantly governed by attitude of thankfulness.
We should not have difficulty accepting that the first truth we learn about thanksgiving is that it requires the right kind of spiritual condition for it to be meaningful. This is because even in human thankfulness, it is the inner state of a person that really tells if the individual is truly appreciative of what has been done to the individual. In effect, in order to have genuine appreciation towards a person for what the individual has done to another then the recipient of the act of kindness must be free of any kind of pride. If there is pride in a person, that individual could not truly be grateful for the kind act he or she receives. To underscore my point, take the case where you receive a gift from someone. On the one hand, if you think that you could have attained whatever it is on your own then you may not truly be appreciative of the thing you have received because there is an element of pride in you that indicates that whatever the person did for you is something that you could have done for yourself and so you truly cannot be appreciative of the kind gesture. On the other hand, if you think that the gift is too small or unbecoming of you then you have also displayed arrogance so that you cannot be truly grateful to the one who has done you a favor. In either situation, a person may say to the one who has done the favor that he or she appreciates the favor but that will be a lie or being hypocritical in that inwardly the person expressing gratitude thinks otherwise. There is one more situation we need to mention that makes it impossible for an individual to be truly appreciative. It is the case of a feeling of entitlement. If you feel that you are entitled to the kindness or benefit you received it is very unlikely you will be truly grateful to the one who shows favor to you. It is probably this reason that was behind the lack of appreciation of the nine lepers that Jesus healed, as recorded in Luke 17:16–18:
16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”
The leper that returned to give thanks to Jesus Christ was a Samaritan. He certainly was grateful to the Lord Jesus Christ for his healing not only because he was healed but he realized that as a Samaritan he did not deserve any kindness from a Jew. There is more. His return to express gratitude to Jesus Christ is to convey that he had no hang ups that has to do with social status of people since Jews and Samaritans were at odds with each other. True appreciation knows no social boundary so that one who is truly grateful is not concerned with the social status of the one to whom gratitude is due. This aside, the other nine who were probably Jews that did not return to show their appreciation to Jesus Christ could have done so because they felt they were entitled to the kindness of Jesus. Whatever their reasons were, Jesus indicated that they did not act properly. Jesus’ question regarding the other nine indicates that He expected gratitude from them but He did not receive it. His question conveys to us that it is important to be grateful to anyone who has shown kindness to us. The basic human standard of being grateful to those who do favor to us is one that parents should instill in their children. It is not uncommon in this culture for children to get up from the dining table and say nothing to their parents and the parents say nothing to them. A child that is not taught to be thankful for favor received, especially, at the dinner table, will grow up with a soul condition that is geared towards showing little appreciation for favor received from others because that child has grown up with the pride associated with entitlement to the favor received. Hence, even from human perspective of gratitude, the condition of the soul is important. Therefore, it is even more important that a person be in the right spiritual condition or spiritual relationship with Got to be able to show true appreciation to Him. In effect, we are saying that unless you are filled of the Spirit you cannot truly express thanks to God hence the first truth we learn about thanksgiving is that it requires the right kind of spiritual condition for it to be meaningful.
A second truth we learn with respect to thanksgiving is that it should ultimately be addressed to God. Thanksgiving, no doubt, should be extended to humans who have done for us a favor as implied in the gratitude that a poor person who has pledged his cloak in acquiring a loan will show to the debtor that returns his cloak before the end of the day, in accordance with God’s instruction in Deuteronomy 24:13:
Return his cloak to him by sunset so that he may sleep in it. Then he will thank you, and it will be regarded as a righteous act in the sight of the Lord your God.
The Lord indicates that the poor person will show appreciation to the lender, indicating that giving thanks to other humans is expected and right. This notwithstanding, the recipient of ultimate thanksgiving is God. This is evident in that in the OT Scripture there are several commands to give thanks to God, as for example, in 1 Chronicles 16:8:
Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.
The psalmist called continually for thanksgiving directed to God, as in Psalm 136:2:
Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.
The fact that thanksgiving is ultimately addressed to God is also evident in the expression giving thanks to God the Father in our passage of Ephesians 5:20. The expression “giving thanks” is translated from a Greek verb (eucharisteō) that means “to give thanks”, that is, to express appreciation for benefits or blessings received. God is usually the object of the verb except for Romans 16:4:
They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.
The clause Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them is more literally for which not only I am thankful, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. Other than this passage, as we have stated, God is usually the object of the Greek verb that means “to give thanks”, as for example, in 1 Thessalonians 2:13:
And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.
The word is used on two different occasions by the Lord Jesus during His earthly ministry in connection with food. He used it when He fed several thousands of people with five loaves of bread and two fish, as for example, in John 6:11:
Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
The Lord used the word in offering thanks during the Last Supper at which time He instituted the Lord’s Supper in Luke 22:17:
After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you.
There is the use of the word that is uncertain as to how it is to be understood. It is the case when the word is used to report the thanksgiving of the Samaritan healed of leprosy in the passage we cited previously, that is, Luke 17:16:
He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
The uncertainty some express with the use of our Greek word in this passage is whether the Samaritan recognized Jesus as God or not. True, we cannot be certain as to what the Samaritan believed about Jesus Christ but because Jesus is God the use of our Greek verb translated giving thanks in Ephesians 5:20 is still applied to God. The point is that the Greek verb translated giving thanks in our passage of Ephesians 5:20 is primarily used with respect to God. Thus, we contend that thanksgiving is ultimately directed to God since He is ultimately the source of all blessings we receive. The implication of the point that all thanksgiving is ultimately addressed to God is that when you express thanks or gratitude to a fellow human being for an act of kindness you should not stop there. You should offer thanks to God for the kindness you received; for God not only moved the heart of the individual to show kindness to you but He also provided the blessing to the individual who has shown you kindness. In effect, you recognize that God owns everything on this planet. Hence, if someone gives you money, for example, the person is giving to you what belongs to God for which the person is really a steward of God’s money. This should not sound strange to you because the Scripture is clear that God owns everything on this planet, as declared in Psalm 24:1:
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;
This truth that God owns everything is elaborated in Psalm 50:10–12:
10for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. 11I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine. 12If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
We should not limit what God owns to animate object but to everything including money. That money is included is evident in that the ancient currency of silver or gold is mentioned also as belonging to God in Haggai 2:8:
‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty.
It is because God owns everything that whatever form that a human kindness or favor takes, we should not only thank the individual but also God because, as we have stated, He put in the mind of that person to show you the favor and He also made available the resources the individual used to do that favor.
We have argued that ultimate thanksgiving belongs to God from the OT requirement to do so and also from the Greek verb used in Ephesian 5:20 that is translated giving thanks. However, the most support for this assertion is the phrase to God the Father of Ephesians 5:20. A literal translation of the Greek phrase is to the God and Father as reflected in the Authorized Version. A rule in Greek Grammar known as the Granville Sharp rule states that if a first noun in the Greek that has a definite article before it is joined to another noun with the Greek conjunction that is often translated “and” in the English then that both nouns refer to the same person. Applying this rule to the Greek phrase translated literally to God and Father indicates that “God” and “Father” in this case refers to the same person. Even if one does not accept this rule, then the use of the Greek conjunction translated literally “and” requires such an interpretation. This is because the Greek conjunction (kai) translated “and” has other usages. It can be used to indicate emphasis so that it may be translated “even.” The adoption of this meaning in this passage should result to the translation to the God even Father meaning that thanks is to be given especially to God the Father as some interpret it. The Greek conjunction could be used to indicate explanation in which case it is translated “that is, namely.” This usage is applicable to the Greek phrase the apostle used in our passage of Ephesians 5:20 and it is the one we believe the apostle meant. This means that the literal phrase to the God and Father may be better translated to the God, namely, the Father. This translation is supported by the context in which the Lord Jesus Christ who is God is also mentioned. Hence, it makes sense for the apostle to indicate that the God to whom thanksgiving is to be directed is the Father. By the way, we can confidently state that when the apostle used the word God and Jesus Christ in a sentence where he does not intend to indicate that God refers to Jesus Christ, he would usually explain the member of the Godhead he meant. Take for example, when he asserted that he was sent by the Father and the Son to carry out his mission, he used the word “Father” to differentiate the member of Godhead he meant in Galatians 1:1:
Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—
We see the same pattern in 1 Thessalonians 1:1:
Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you.
But when the apostle intends for us to understand Jesus as God then the phrase he uses fits the Granville Sharp rule, as for example, in Titus 2:13:
while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,
In this passage of Titus 2:13, there is a definite article in the Greek before the expression great God that is then joined to the word Savior with the word and so that the application of Granville Sharp rule indicates that Jesus Christ is God. The point is that the apostle when he used the word God and Jesus in the same sentence where he does not mean for us to infer that Jesus is God then he would indicate that the other person he means is the Father as in the phrase to God the Father we are considering. In any event, the second truth we learn with respect to thanksgiving is that it should ultimately be addressed to God.
A third truth we learn about thanksgiving is that it always has a reason. In other words, thanksgiving flows from a perceived action that benefits the one who offers it. This third truth is derived from the phrase for everything of Ephesians 5:20. Before we examine this phrase, you should be certain that offering of thanksgiving to God is His will. It is because thanksgiving is His will that He expected of the Israelites to make an offering of thanksgiving as a part of their fellowship offering, according to Leviticus 7:12–15:
12 “ ‘If he offers it as an expression of thankfulness, then along with this thank offering he is to offer cakes of bread made without yeast and mixed with oil, wafers made without yeast and spread with oil, and cakes of fine flour well-kneaded and mixed with oil. 13 Along with his fellowship offering of thanksgiving he is to present an offering with cakes of bread made with yeast. 14 He is to bring one of each kind as an offering, a contribution to the Lord; it belongs to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the fellowship offerings. 15 The meat of his fellowship offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the day it is offered; he must leave none of it till morning.
It is because David recognized that thanksgiving is God’s will that he included it as one of the main responsibilities of the Levities, as we can gather from 1 Chronicles 16:4:
He appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, to make petition, to give thanks, and to praise the Lord, the God of Israel:
Of course, we know that it is God’s will for us to be involved in thanksgiving because of the direct instruction of the Holy Spirit to us through the Apostle Paul in a passage we cited previously, that is, 1 Thessalonians 5:18:
give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Be that as it may, the third truth about thanksgiving that we are focusing is that it always has a reason as indicated in the phrase for everything of Ephesians 5:20. The word “for” is what enables us to derive this third truth. Nonetheless, some interpreters render the Greek phrase as either in behalf of all men or everywhere. This is due to the Greek words used. Actually, the word “for” is translated from a Greek preposition (hyper) that can be translated “for” but with different senses. The word “for” can refer to a marker of a participant who is benefited by an event or on whose behalf an event takes place so that it can be translated “for, in behalf of, for the sake of.” Some interpreters adopt this meaning in their translation of the Greek phrase rendered for everything in the NIV as we have already indicated. The Greek preposition can also be used as a marker of reason or cause so it can be translated “because of, for.” It is in this second sense that the word is used in our passage since it best qualifies the word everything associated with it as it relates to thanksgiving so that we can assert that thanksgiving always has a reason. Of course, as we have also indicated some commentators read the Greek word translated “everything” as a reference to “all men.” This is possible because of the Greek word used. However, it is unlikely because we do not have anything in the apostle’s epistles that will suggest thanking God for all people on this planet. Thanksgiving that the apostle practiced is usually in behalf of believers. For this reason we take the meaning everything as how the apostle intended for us to read the Greek word he used.
The phrase for everything of Ephesians 5:20 is not only the basis for the third truth we are expounding but it also tells us that filling of the Holy Spirit is important for thanksgiving to God to occur. This is because the thanksgiving is to be carried out for all reasons and in all circumstances of life as that is implied in the word everything. The Holy Spirit did not say that we should give thanks for “somethings” but for everything. I submit to you that this is something impossible without the enablement of the Holy Spirit. Could anyone honestly be thankful when faced with painful experience of this life without the enablement of the Spirit? Let me put it in a more concrete manner. How many people do you know that can be thankful when they lose a loved one? Is not losing a loved one a part of everything? It is not natural for us to be thankful when we experience anything painful. When a person is able to truly offer thanks to God in spite of painful experience, it must be because the individual is enabled by the Holy Spirit to do so. Take for example Job. Although there is no mention of the filling of the Spirit with respect to Job but that is implied, for we read of him offering thanks or praising God in spite of his loss of all his children and his property, according to Job 1:21:
and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”
The apostles in a sense praised God as indicated in their rejoicing because they suffered for Jesus Christ, as stated in Acts 5:41:
The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.
It is not stated that the apostles were filled of the Spirit at this point but that is implied in that the joy they had is a facet of the fruit of the Spirit. Besides, this incident occurred after the special filling of the Spirit recorded in the fourth chapter of Acts in connection with the church. Thus, we are correct to indicate that the apostles were filled of the Spirit when they rejoiced as a result of their suffering for Christ. So, you get my point that it is the filling of the Spirit that will make it possible to be thankful to God in everything even if it is not directly stated.
It is our argument that it is the filling of the Spirit that would make it possible to be thankful to God for everything. The word everything covers all experiences of life good or bad. A person filled of the Spirit is one that would recognize that God is absolutely in control of everything that happens on this planet. It is the believer who recognizes this truth that will find it easy to be thankful to the Lord for all circumstances or events of this life. This means that filling of the Spirit along with knowledge of truth enables a believer to be thankful for everything since such a believer will possess the knowledge that all events – good and bad – ultimately come from God for His purpose, as conveyed in Ecclesiastes 7:14:
When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future.
Anyway, without the filling of the Spirit and knowledge of truth, it is difficult to be thankful to God because of everything. It is easy to be thankful for that which is pleasant but it is difficult to do so when faced with unpleasant situations. If a person will indeed be thankful when faced with unpleasant circumstances of life then the individual would have to be filled of the Spirit. Hence we can understand that being thankful in everything is that which results from the filling of the Holy Spirit since it is not natural with us to be thankful when we face unpleasant circumstances of life. So, there is a sense that our response to unpleasant circumstances becomes a test for the filling of the Spirit. By this we mean, if you can truly be thankful to the Lord when you face a very unpleasant situation in your life then you can be certain you are filled of the Spirit. It is possible for a person to fake being thankful before other people but it is impossible to fake true thanksgiving to God since He knows our state of soul. When a person is truly thankful in painful situation then it is because the Holy Spirit operates in that individual to bring about such thanksgiving to the Lord. Therefore, we insist that true thanksgiving to the Lord in everything requires the filling of the Spirit.
The assertion that true thanksgiving to the Lord requires the filling of the Spirit is not only evident when faced with unpleasant circumstances of life but also in the kind of things for which the believer is thankful. The kinds of things we offer thanks to God that are associated with the filling of the Spirit and knowledge of truth are primarily spiritual in nature. This does not mean that we do not offer thanks for things material but that the dominant reasons for offering thanks to God that would be indicative of filling of the Spirit are usually spiritual. We are certainly required to give thanks to God before food as per the example of the Lord Jesus Christ when He fed several thousands of people with five loaves of bread and two fish, as for example, in the passage we previously cited, that is, in John 6:11:
Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
The Apostle Paul followed the Lord’s example in that he also offered thanks to God before his food, as we gather from Acts 27:35:
After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat.
This notwithstanding, we contend that the kinds of things we offer thanks to God that are indicative of the filling of the Spirit are primarily spiritual in nature. A kind of thanksgiving to God that is spiritual in nature is that due to His character. Thus, the psalmist indicates that his thanksgiving is because of God’s righteousness in Psalm 7:17:
I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
It is God’s character that is also the reason for the thanksgiving enjoined in Jeremiah 33:11:
the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord, saying, “Give thanks to the Lord Almighty, for the Lord is good; his love endures forever.” For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before,’ says the Lord.
Another kind of thanksgiving that is spiritual in nature that is certainly related to the filling of the Spirit is that due to God’s spiritual blessings. So, Daniel thanked and praised the Lord for spiritual blessing of wisdom and power in Daniel 2:23:
I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king.”
The Apostle Paul thanked the Lord for His grace toward the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 1:4–5:
4 I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5 For in him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge—
The apostle offered thanks to the Lord for the election and consequent salvation of the Thessalonians in 2 Thessalonians 2:13:
But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.
You should also thank God for your spiritual blessings that involve His spiritual blessings. Moreover, there are other reasons that you should give thanks to the Lord that are spiritual in nature. You should thank God for believers who show interest in the word of God. The Apostle Paul thanked God because of those who were enthusiastic of meeting those who teach the word, as we gather from Acts 28:15:
The brothers there had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these men Paul thanked God and was encouraged.
He thanked the Lord for the response of the Thessalonians to the word of God he taught them, as in the passage we cited previously, that is, 1 Thessalonians 2:13:
And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.
You should also thank God for believers who are doing well spiritually. Such thanksgiving to God is certainly spiritual in nature. It is this kind of thing that the Apostle Paul did, certainly under the filling of the Spirit. He thanked God for the faith of the Colossians and their love for one another in Colossians 1:3–4:
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints—
Similarly, he thanked God for the fact that the Thessalonians were also growing in their faith which implies that they were learning more of the word of God and were trusting the Lord Jesus Christ more and more, as stated in 2 Thessalonians 1:3:
We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.
Of course, in addition to these, you should be able to thank God for answered prayers both from you and from other believers on your behalf, as the apostle also implied in 2 Corinthians 1:11:
as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.
The point is that the kind of things for which you thank God should reflect your spiritual life and consequently whether you are filled of the Spirit or not. In any event, the third truth we learn about thanksgiving is that it always has a reason.
A fourth truth we learn with respect to thanksgiving, especially, as it is related to the filling of the Spirit is that it is carried out through the person of Jesus Christ. It is this truth that is given in the last phrase of Ephesians 5:20 in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. This phrase is subject to many different interpretations because of the preposition in and the word name.
The preposition “in” is translated from a Greek preposition (en) with several usages. In our passage, there are at least four usages that are possible. It could be used as a marker of means so that the phrase we are considering could be translated through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Another usage is as a marker of cause so that the phrase could be translated because of the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Another usage is as a marker of location so that the phrase in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ suggests that thanksgiving is to be offered while in union with Christ or in the sphere of Jesus Christ. Still another usage is as a marker showing attendant circumstances and so may be translated “with, while at the same time.” This usage would mean that the thanksgiving is to be made with mentioning of the name of Jesus Christ. Each of these meanings make sense, so we need to examine the word “name” before we offer our interpretation of the phrase.
The word “name” is translated from a Greek word (onoma) that can refer to authority or power associated with a person. It is in the sense of authority that the word is used by Jesus Christ in connection with His miracles in John 10:25:
Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me.
The phrase in my Father’s name refers to the Father’s authority or even what the Father commanded which again refers to His authority. It is in the sense of the authority or power of the person mentioned that Apostle Peter used it in his healing miracle stated in Acts 3:6:
Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”
The phrase in the name of Jesus Christ could refer to the authority of Jesus Christ as granted the apostle so that Peter meant that because of the authority Jesus gave him that the man should walk. Our Greek word refers to proper name of an entity as the Apostle Paul used the word to describe his fellow workers whose names are in the book of life in Philippians 4:3:
Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.
The Greek word can mean a “person” as it is used in Revelation 3:4:
Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.
The phrase a few people is more literally a few names. In our context of Ephesians 5:20, the word means either “name” or “person” since there is nothing in the context that suggests Jesus’ authority or command is the concern of the thanksgiving.
We have examined the two key Greek words in the phrase in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and so the problem we face is how to interpret it considering the various possible meanings of the Greek words we have examined. There are many possible interpretations but it seems to us that the apostle is saying either that thanksgiving should be given because of the person of Jesus Christ or that thanksgiving should be given through the person of Jesus Christ. The first interpretation makes sense in that it is because of the work of Christ that believers are in the position to offer thanks to God. In effect, it can be said that believers should offers thanks to God the Father because of Jesus Christ who has made salvation possible. This notwithstanding, it seems to us that it is the second interpretation that the apostle intended. In effect, our thanksgiving should be made to the Father through Jesus Christ who is our mediator. The reason for this second interpretation is that it is the meaning that is reflected elsewhere where the apostle associates thanksgiving with Jesus Christ. We are referring to Romans 1:8:
First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.
The apostle used here a different Greek preposition than the one used in Ephesians 5:20, but passages concern thanksgiving to God the Father. In the passage in Romans, the preposition the apostle used has the meaning “through” which in the context of the thanksgiving in Romans should be understood as conveying that Jesus is the intermediary of thanksgiving. Furthermore, it is the same Greek preposition used in Romans that is used in a parallel passage to Ephesians 5:20 where thanksgiving is the concern, that is, in Colossians 3:17:
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Based on these passages, we believe the thanksgiving that is a result of the filling of the Spirit is one that can only be given through the person of Jesus Christ since He is our mediator that has made it possible for us to offer thanksgiving to God the Father. In effect, anyone that is not in Christ could not possibly give thanks to God. Anyway, it should be clear that true thanksgivings to God requires being in Christ and being filled of the Spirit. Therefore, strive to be filled of the Holy Spirit constantly so that you will always be thankful to the Lord.